


Timeless, Nameless, Careless

by AXEe



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children, F/F, Gen, Immortal Rose Tyler, Reunions, Spoilers for Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22985938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Saw the new episode, got inspired.   Enjoy :=)
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 48
Kudos: 64





	Timeless, Nameless, Careless

**Author's Note:**

> Saw the new episode, got inspired. Enjoy :=)

******

_What did they do to you, Doctor? How many lives have you lived? Do you even know?_

The Doctor blinked as she found herself back in the remains of the Citadel, amidst the ruins of Gallifrey, Rose Tyler standing before her. Swallowing against her dry throat, The Doctor stared at the girl before her, the girl she thought she knew, but like everything else to happen today, even Rose Tyler was not what she seemed.

She remembered how Rose had emerged from the Boundary, from the ruins of Gallifrey, how she had all-but abducted The Doctor at gunpoint, brought her here, _imprisoned_ her, connected her to the Matrix, and proceeded to show her very beginnings of the Time Lords, of the Timeless Child, the foundling who was, it seemed, The Doctor herself, erased and remade over and over by the Time Lords for whatever reason.

And through it all, Rose had taken no pleasure in showing her this, but nor had she shown any real sympathy either, her expression and voice had been blank and cold as she told the tale, as emotionless as the Cybermen who had no doubt found the Boundary and were already amassing to seize Gallifrey, ready to plunder its ruins for whatever technology they could find, to repurpose and use to further strengthen their army.

Finally finding her voice, The Doctor took a breath.

“ _Why?_ ” she whispered, and she knew that she was asking far more.

In reply, Rose merely stared at her with a continued blank expression.

“How old am I?” she asked.

“I don’t…” The Doctor weakly shook her head.

“Wrong answer” Rose stated, turning to leave, but pausing as The Doctor called out to her.

“You don’t age anymore, do you, Rose?” she asked “no, I guess not. And it’s maddening isn’t it? Seeing friends and family, people that you love, dying when you know that you can’t, not as easily anyway. So, you close yourself off, bury your emotions way down deep, anything to stop from _feeling_ that pain”

Rose slowly turned to face her again, softly walking up to her until they were practically nose-to-nose.

“The Cybermen don’t covert people anymore,” she pointed out “why?”

“Because…,” The Doctor began “because, they’ve _changed_ ,” she realized “their new leader, he’s influenced them, made them change their goals”

“To what?” Rose challenged.

Letting out a slow gasp, The Doctor came to a frightening realization.

“Extermination,” she breathed “the death of every living thing, everywhere. And…,” she looked around the room “with even the scraps of Time Lord technology, they could do that, they could succeed where even the Daleks failed. Because, the Daleks were guided by hate, but hate can be overcome, challenged, but the Cybermen…they have no emotions, they don’t feel anything at all. That’s their plan, isn’t it?”

With a quiet chime, the paralysis field disengaged and The Doctor could move again.

“I’m sorry,” Rose said softly as she caught The Doctor as she stumbled “but…you needed to know, to see, before Gallifrey was totally destroyed” she explained.

“But..,” The Doctor shook her head “ _why?_ Why did I need to see that? To know that?”

Rose gave her a tearful, bittersweet smile.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger,” she recited “this isn’t the end, but…in time…you’re going to face things that will challenge you, things that will make even the Time War seem like a relaxing vacation” she explained as she softly stood up.

“Wait!” The Doctor lunged on wobbly knees, reaching out towards Rose, but Rose sadly shook her head.

“Not yet,” she declared “but,” she leaned in, gently pressing a kiss to The Doctor’s lips “ _…soon_ ” she whispered.

Then, in a shimmer of gold, she vanished…

******

The Doctor took a breath as she leaned against the TARDIS console. Cybermen defeated? Check. The fam safe on Earth? Also check. Reaching up, she touched her still-tingling lips, recalling Rose’s kiss, but also recalling her words too.

_…in time…you’re going to face things that will challenge you, things that will make even the Time War seem like a relaxing vacation_

That was a bit depressing honestly, but kudos to Rose for pulling off the whole ‘mysterious messenger’-thing. Turning back to the console, she set the TARDIS towards Earth, she’d pick up the fam, make sure that they were OK and then…

Then…she’d find Rose. And together, they’d save the universe.

Together…

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Personally I found the 'reveal' about the Timeless Child to be rather obvious and clichéd, but that's just me. Anyway, let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
